Divergent

By: Veronica Roth

Narrated by: Emma Galvin

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue - Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is - she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are - and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves.... or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series - dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

©2011 Veronica Roth (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Though Galvin’s narration is concentrated on giving Tris the perfect voice, she never neglects the secondary characters. Poignant moments with Tris’s mother and Four, her leader and love, are subtly nuanced to let listeners hear the terror Tris often hides.... listeners will hold their breath waiting to see if she can survive the day." ( AudioFile)

Great listen!!

Like most books, this one is so much better than the movie!! The narration was very good, making the book that much more enjoyable to listen to.

Gritty and Tough

I loved Trish! Finally, a strong, smart female protagonist who does not stand by and let others define who she is. She's stubborn, butt kicking, and clever, but is bound by reality and does not always win. I have to admit, some of the violence was cringe inducing, and maybe even a bit frustrating? But I can appreciate the realistic nature of her emotional and physical struggles. What I really enjoyed about the book is how perceptive Roth is to human emotions and the driving forces behind their actions. Trish does not always make to right choice, and more often than not, knowingly turns away from the socially right things to do, but it resonated because I could understand why she made the decisions she made. There are layers in this story that touch upon social and personal themes that I would love to explore more of. I'd definitely check this one out! The narration was one of the best I've heard in my limited experience.

Took a long time to get good, but then I loved it!

Any additional comments?

This book took a while to get interesting. At first the concept was a little cheesy to me and not well developed. It is a good thing my commute is so long though, because around Chapter 10 or so it really started to pick up and I am glad I stuck with it. They developed the concept and it got much more action packed. Now I am really looking forward to book 2!

This is definitely a bit of a

Yes Please

Any additional comments?

Ok, I'm hooked. I gotta read the rest of the series!! Hurry, before the movie comes out....

Amazing Book! Great Read/Listen!

Would you listen to Divergent again? Why?

Yes! The Story of Beatrice (Trice) is a ride! With her going from extreme to extreme in her Choosing ceremony! She is a great character and haves a good personality!

What other book might you compare Divergent to and why?

Mockingjay is probably the closest. It isn't like the Hunger Games but it reminds me more of Mockingjay.

What about Emma Galvin’s performance did you like?

She sounded like a young girl. Made Beatrice come to life.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Divergent: the story of love, loss, and luck.

Any additional comments?

Get this book!

Great book, engaging story

loved the book. slow start but definitely involving. narrator did a great job, but did not stick perfectly to the text a few rare times. made the book and story cone alive. can't wait to listen to insurgent. hopefully gas the same narrator

Narration could have been better

Okay story line, but the narration is a bit dry. I have had this audio book for over a year but could not listen to it due to the bland reading style of the narrator.

Overall, the story is original and the movie kept pretty close to the bokks storyline until the end of the book. Both the book and the movie have their advantages, but it seems that they needed more filler material for the movie, hence, the changes.

First time audio user

story was enjoyable. would've enjoyed a little more emotion and/or animated reading as at times it was flat given story content. overall she did a good job though.

Entertaining and Engaging

The first installment in this trilogy is also the strongest of the three books. The storyline is interesting and fast-paced. The characters are diverse and exhibit great potential for depth, and "hook" you early on and make you want to learn more about them and their world. I watched the movie first and loved it, so I turned to the books. I was surprised to find that the movie is nearly identical to the book. To me, that was a great sign, because it meant that there was not too much that was superfluous or dispensable. On the other hand, I did find the screenplay more clear and more logical. For example, (no spoilers) the criteria for what makes an individual "divergent" based on their behavior in the fear landscape was a lot more coherent and logical in the screenplay than in the book. To me, this highlighted the weakness of the author. She clearly had a great idea, but is not as skilled a writer as I had hoped. I think the same idea in the hands of a more skilled writer would have turned out much better. This is further evidenced by the decline in the quality of the next two books.

It is difficult to recommend the first book in a series when you cannot in good conscience recommend the last. That said, I really enjoyed this book, this story and these characters and if I had to do it all over again, even knowing what I know about the last book, I'd still read this book for sure, notwithstanding my disappointment with the author and the last book.

that was exciting

the narrator was great! she had a lot of emotion put into her story telling.